Author Topic: SOUND: Need Sound Help!!!!  (Read 5660 times)

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isha

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SOUND: Need Sound Help!!!!
« on: Feb 24, 2006, 02:04 am »
I'm working on Bye Bye Birdie, and the director want live phone effects (instead of a recorded ones.) My director knows what he wants, the thing that we need help with is knowing how to make it.
(I think you can actually buy this sort of thing, but we wanted to make it instead of paying a ton of money for it.)

he wants a live ringer, with a push button. We have an old bell from a rotary phone. What do we need to do to make it ring when you push a button? has anybody had to make one of these before???? how do you wire it/ does anybody have any plans or directions?

HELP?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-isha
« Last Edit: Jun 08, 2009, 11:07 pm by PSMKay »
~isha

Mac Calder

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Need Sound Help!!!!
« Reply #1 on: Feb 24, 2006, 08:43 am »
I suggest a read of this page

butch

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Need Sound Help!!!!
« Reply #2 on: Feb 24, 2006, 03:50 pm »
There is a small unit that sends the ringing voltage necessary through just an actual phone cord. It just requires one of the deck crew to push a button. I don't remember off the top of my head where we got ours, but you might try places like Production Advantage.

Didaskalos

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Need Sound Help!!!!
« Reply #3 on: Feb 24, 2006, 11:52 pm »
Go to http://www.tele-q.com/  This box is the Cadillac.  You hook up any phone to the box with a standard phone cord--just like you would plug it into a wall.  Press the button on the box and it supplies ring voltage to the phone.  The phone rings until you pick it up.  No miscues or rings after the actor picks it up.  A little pricey but definitely worth having in your prop or audio dept.
Do it right the first time;  do it right every time.

isha

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Need Sound Help!!!!
« Reply #4 on: Feb 25, 2006, 01:07 am »
mc..I looked at the page you suggested, and I didn't understand a word. what is it trying to say?
~isha

loebtmc

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Need Sound Help!!!!
« Reply #5 on: Feb 25, 2006, 01:52 am »
do you have an ME or some other electrical geek type? it will be simple for them to set up a pushbutton system either backstage or in the booth - and while we used to hardwire them, now many of the doorbell systems can be wireless and you can select the ring. I might add, it's a good thing for a theater to have a ringer board - two or three doorbells and two phone rings all on a board in the booth or backstage at the ASM/deck station, and whenever you need a ring you simply hit the appropriate button.

Mac Calder

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« Reply #6 on: Feb 25, 2006, 09:51 am »
Scews the massive quote, but this is from the bottom of that page:
Quote

Direct connection to mains

This approach has been proposed many times at rec.theatre.stagescraft newsgroups but I strongly suggest not to use it. Mains voltage (120V AC 60Hz) used in USA makes the modern telephones ring, but it is dangerous to make direct connection to mains voltage. And if you don't use any type of current limiting, the telephone will cause dangerous short circuit when it is picked up. The telephone will destroy and put out smoke.
- Telephone would ring, but you could go bang - bad idea.
50/60Hz ring voltage generated from mains voltage

Quote

Methods for generating good ring voltage
Ringer module

The easiest way to get real ringing module. Those units are available from some companies which make DC/DC converters for telecommunication industry. Migh not be the easiest component to get.
Self explanitory.

Quote

70V line PA amplifier

The output voltage of PA amplifiers designed for driving 70V speaker system speakers have enough output voltage and power for ringing telephones. If you have old this type of amplifier lying somewhere, you can connect the amplifier input to fuction generator and output to telephone through 1 kohm 3W resistor. When you set the function generator to generate sine wave at 20-25 Hz at suitable level for amplifier, you have an adjustable level ring generator. Usually those amplifiers are not good at playing back frequencies below 50 Hz, so you might have to try higher frequencies if that does not work as expected.

Normal audio amplifier and transformer

Very nice variable amplitude ring generator can be built from audio amplifier designed for driwing 4 or 8 ohm speakers and have output power of 3W or more, 10 ohm 10 W resistor, 220V to 12V transformer (few watts), 1000 ohm 3W resistor and function generator.
 
         
The circuit is easy to build. Connect 10 ohm resistor in series with transformer's secondary winding and 1000 ohm resistor in series with primary winding. Connect the primary winding side of the transformer to amplifier's speaker output. Connect the telephone to the secondary side. The resistors are in the circuit to limit the current and to keep the impedance high enough for the amplifier.

When you have done this, connect you function generator to amplifier's input and set it to generate 20-25 Hz sine wave at suitable level for amplifier's input. Turn down the volume of the amplifer. Turn the amplifier on. Turn the volume up until you hear telephone ringing well. You can check the ringing voltage with multimeter if you vat to make it to exactly right level.
Show that to a noise boy, they may be able to hook you up


Quote
Modified power inverter circuit

It is possible to make 17 - 25Hz a.c. from d.c. A simple multivibrator will do it. You then need a power transistor or similar to give the high-current output. A suitable circuit can be modified from typical power inverter circuit by changing the timing components to make the frequency to 20-25 Hz range. Then the transformer needs to be selected so that it matches this application (for 12V operation take a mains centre-tapped 60V (30+30V) secondary and 230V primary).


Show this one to someone who is electronically minded, they could make one easily.

Quote

Dedicated ringing generator circuit

There have been telephone ringer circuit in major electronics magazines and circuit books. Those circuit are good idea when you want to build the circuit from base components.

There are commercial units specifically made fro ringing telephone. TELE-Q is a device designed for ringing telephone theatre effect. That unit is available from Norcostco for little over 100 US dollars. I have no experience in this product but it has been suggested in many usenet news articles.

Maplin Electronics has a phone ringer electronics kit which can give out UK and USA type ring styles. It has been reported to work uite well with any modern telephone, though it has said to struggle slightly to drive old fashioned bell types which need lots of ring current.

There are also telephone line simulators available from some tecom equipment manufacturers. Those telephone line simulator boxes also usually include the ringer circuit. Two examples are Viking Electronics Line Simulator/Ringdown Circuit and Jech Tech Phone Helper. Usually complete line simulators are more expensive than simple ringer circuit but they have more uses also (you can make two telephones an intercom etc.).


Or, go shopping.

Debo123

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another idea...
« Reply #7 on: Feb 25, 2006, 04:10 pm »
You could take MCs diagrams and show them to a physics teacher, or show him what you have and what you want it to do. We built circuits in 8th grade and stuff; I'm sure they look at that stuff in high school too. I also bet the teacher would also get a kick out of helping you guys out. Plus hey, you could learn something! :-)